. Annual report of the Commissioner of Agriculture ... Agriculture -- New York (State). 112 is a great variation in the sequence of notes, but all are beautifully clear and ringing, and have a decided tinge of what would be sad- ness if it were not so sweet. The bird flies in a very characteristic manner, never raising the wings above the plane of the back, and when seen below the horizon line always shows the white feathers in the tail. His saffron breast and black breastrnark seldom show on the living birds, and the mottled brown back is a wonderful safe- guard against his many overhead enem
. Annual report of the Commissioner of Agriculture ... Agriculture -- New York (State). 112 is a great variation in the sequence of notes, but all are beautifully clear and ringing, and have a decided tinge of what would be sad- ness if it were not so sweet. The bird flies in a very characteristic manner, never raising the wings above the plane of the back, and when seen below the horizon line always shows the white feathers in the tail. His saffron breast and black breastrnark seldom show on the living birds, and the mottled brown back is a wonderful safe- guard against his many overhead enemies. * «? * Two or more doves may be seen winging their headlong flight through the air. These are among the swiftest of birds, and are generally out of eyeshot almost before yon have seen them. (That is one way of knowing what they were.) In flight, they look like small j^igeons with very long graduated tails, and when, in some old orchard or open wood, you see one rise from the ground into a IL—Mourning tree, the white lateral feathers in the tail make '^^"^*' an easily recognizable mark. (Fig. 71:.) Their cooing notes are well known — a high piclied '"overtone" followed by several long bell-toned " ^oo"^^ —Z^^," notes. * * * About April 1 to 10, you may hear a scratching in the dead leaves among the underbrush in any thickly grown tangle, and upon can tiously coming up, you may discover the authors — not big grouse as you may have supposed, but a flock of Ave vigorous fox-sparrows, on their way to their northern breeding grounds. They are bright bay fellows, with boldly blotched brown and white breasts, dili- gently scattering the leaves for their food of seeds, spiders, ants and other insects. If you have been fortunate enough not to have been seen you may hear their song, which is one of the finest of our spar- row songs, readily recognizable as such, though not resembling any of its fellows—a clear vigorous carol, of ten ending abr
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